Vickers-design for Dutch battleship 1913
Germania Werft-design for Dutch battleship 1913
Blohm&Voss-design for Dutch battleship 1913
In 1919 published the Dutch infantry lieutenant 1st class N.F. Lichtendahl an essay titled De economische, politieke en strategische ligging van Indisch-Nederland. He predicted that East Asia was to expect a period of economical and military problems which would affect the life in the Dutch colony Dutch East India[ nowadays Indonesia]. The Dutch cabinet and Dutch East Indies government needed to be awake of what was coming and make every effort necessary for a good defence. Lichtendahl saw Japan as potential danger which was strengthening her armed forces especially her navy. A war between Japan and the United Kingdom with or without the USA were no fairy tales by reality. He looked back to the war between Russia and Japan and what forces were needed to protect the Dutch East Indies. He believed that if only or mainly the Royal Netherlands Navy was responsible for the defence, in a future war for instance with Japan, within 2 months the colony was captured.
In case the Netherlands wanted to protect the neutrality of her colony was an own navy of such a strength necessary that a potential enemy did not invade the archipelago unless the advantages were far larger as the disadvantages including the needed disabling of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Army. It was believed that for this purpose the Royal Netherlands Navy needed to have a strength around 1922-1924 consisting of 1 division battleships consisting of 4-30.000 ton super dreadnoughts and 1 flotilla of 8 destroyers, 1 division cruisers consisting of 1-28.000 ton battle cruiser with a speed of 30 miles, 3-7.000 ton protected cruisers with a speed of 32 miles and 3-1.500 ton scout cruisers with a speed of 35 miles and 3 flotilla’s submarines each of 1 torpedo cruiser, 3 torpedo boats and 10 submarines. He suspected that an enemy force of 8 super dreadnoughts supported by cruisers and so on would gain the supremacy in the Java Sea. Further more was it possible if the Dutch finances were booming again within 8-10 years the Royal Netherlands Navy even could number 8 super dreadnoughts and 8 super dreadnought cruisers or battle cruisers. His main opinion was that if the Netherlands were not able to maintain a fleet able to have the supremacy in the archipelago an absolute strong army was necessary to held at least Java and Sumatra in Dutch hands when the navy failed to stop the enemy invasion.
One-time costs: 4 super dreadnoughts (160 million), 1 battle cruiser (40 million), 3 protected cruisers (30 million), 3 scout cruisers (12 million), 3 torpedo cruisers (9 million), 8 destroyers (12 million), 9 torpedo boats (9 million) and 30 submarines (45 million), sub total 317 million Dutch guilders. Further more 35 million for naval base, air force support pints, sub total 352 million minus already available material ad 80 million sub total 272 million with 8 million for unsuspected costs was in total 280 million Dutch guilders at once needed for obtaining a powerful fleet.
Annual costs for maintenance of above mentioned fleet 4 battleships each 2,75=11 million, 1 battle cruiser 2,7 million, 3 protected cruisers each 0,35=1,05 million, 3 scout and 3 torpedo cruiser each 0,3=1,8 million, 8 destroyers each 0,15=1,20 million, 9 torpedo boats each 0,08=720.000 and 30 submarines each 0.08=2,40 million, sub total 20,87 million Dutch guilders to which around 4 million were to be added for arsenal, department, administration, education/training totally 24,87 million Dutch guilders.
In 1923 wanted the Dutch cabinet to modernize the navy seriously especially for defending our colonial possessions regarded Japan that became more and more the main player in the Far East.The Vlootwet 1924 [naval bill] did not pass the Dutch Parliament on 26 October 1923 with the difference of just one vote! Within 6 years was the Royal Netherlands to be considerable strengthened and modernized, costs 300 million Dutch guilders in an economical worse climate where all budgets were reduced.
Since the First World War was the strongest Dutch ship in the Dutch East Indies the pantsership [coastal defence ship] Hr. Ms. De Zeven Provinciën, laid down at the Rijkswerf at Amsterdam, Netherlands on 7 February 1908, launched on 15 March 1909, commissioned on 6 October 1910 and sunk by Japanese aircraft on 18 February 1942. Displacement 6.430 tons and as dimensions 101,5 x 17,1 x 6,15 metres or 333 x 56’1 x 20.2 feet. Her speed scarified to obtain more armour and heavier armament was just 16 knots. Crew numbered 452 men. The armour consisted o a 15cm/5.9” thick belt, a 5,1cm/2” thick deck tithe gun turrets, barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 25cm/9.8”, 19,7cm/7,75”and 20cm/8”. The armament consisted of 2x1-28cm/11,1”, 4x1-15cm/5.9” guns, 10x1-7,5cm/3.0” guns and 4x1-1pd guns. Plans to built an enlarged design of here were never realized.
If the De Zeven Provincien is compared with the Japanese battleship Nagato, at that moment just a few years old, then further comments are no longer needed. The Nagato was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal on 28 August 1917, launched by admiral Kato Tomosaburo on 9 November 1919, completed on 15 November 1920, commissioned on 25 November 1920 and finally sunk after being used as a target during Operation Crossroads (nuclear weapon tests) on 26 July 1946. Dimensions 215,8 x 29,02 x 9,08 metres or 708.0 x 95.3 x 29.9 and a standard displacement of 32.720 metric tons/32.200 long tons. Armour consisted of a 10-30,5cm/3,9-12.” thick belt, a 6,9+7,5cm=14,4cm/5.7” thick deck with the gun turrets, barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 19-35,6cm/7.5-14”, 30,5cm/12 and 369cm/14.5”. The original armament consisted of 4x2-41cm guns, 20x1-14cm guns, 4x1-7,6cm guns and 8-53,3cm/21” torpedo tubes.
Japanese Nagato-class battleships
When the Second World War broke out possessed the Royal Netherlands Navy none capital ships. The ‘strongest’ ships were two outdated cruisers Hr. Ms. Java and Sumatra, a third cruiser Hr. Ms. De Ruyter a beautiful ship but too weak armed and one new flotilla leader or light cruiser Hr. Ms. Tromp. The battleships and battle cruisers were never realized. Plans to built 3 battle cruisers for the Dutch East Indies were not realized while the war broke out.
